Our Neighborhoods

All of them say what gets done, how, and when, with a label saying who has to agree and, where it applies, something countable you can hold me to.

1. 3.1

   Publish the Condition List

   Streets, water lines, sewer, and drainage ditches. Which are worst, which break most often, what a fix costs, what order we do them in.

   What it unlocks

   The repair schedule below, and every infrastructure grant application we file.

   Hold me to this

   Published within 90 days.

   First 90 daysNeeds a council vote

2. 3.2

   A Repair Schedule, not a Complaint Line

   Right now nobody can see what order the streets get fixed in. Turn the condition list into a published schedule people can plan around, paid for through the water and sewer budget, the state's yearly road money for cities, and the grants the condition list makes us ready to file.

   Hold me to this

   Schedule adopted and published by the end of year two.

   Years 2–4Needs a council vote

3. 3.3

   Find Out What's Driving Your Water Bill

   Folks here tell me their water bills are too high. Before anybody can fix that, somebody has to show where the money on that bill actually goes. Lay it out in plain English: what it costs to pump, treat, and deliver our water, how much water we lose to leaks before it ever reaches a meter, whether the meters are reading right, and whether any water money is being spent on something other than water. Compare our rates to towns our size. Then go after the things that bring costs down without raising rates: fix the worst leaks first, and use low-interest state loans for big repairs instead of putting them on your bill.

   What it unlocks

   A plain breakdown of what you pay for, and a list of fixes that keep your bill from climbing.

   Hold me to this

   Bill breakdown and rate comparison published in the first year.

   First yearI can do this alone

4. 3.4

   A Cleanup Schedule for the Whole City

   Mowing, litter, overgrown lots, and dead signage — on a standing schedule instead of waiting for complaints. Code enforcement applied evenly. Community cleanup days with the churches and the school. This is the highest ratio of visible result to dollar spent this city has.

   Hold me to this

   A published schedule by street within the first year, and at least two community cleanup days a year.

   First yearNeeds a council vote

5. 3.5

   Publish a Land Inventory

   What parcels exist inside the city, who holds them, zoning, what's buildable, what's tax-delinquent.

   What it unlocks

   Housing rehabilitation, new construction, and any serious recruitment conversation. None of it can start without this list.

   Hold me to this

   Published by the end of year two.

   Years 2–4Needs a council vote

6. 3.6

   Fix What's Still Standing

   Survey vacant and deteriorating structures, sort salvageable from not, and pursue rehabilitation funding. CDBG and state housing programs fund exactly this for cities our size, through DCA and the Regional Commission.

   Hold me to this

   At least one rehabilitation application filed per year.

   Years 2–4Needs a council vote

7. 3.7

   Get People from Renting to Owning

   Down-payment assistance, USDA rural housing loans, and first-time buyer programs already exist and go unclaimed here. Compile every one our residents qualify for into one plain guide, publish it, and hold sessions at the community center and through the churches.

   Hold me to this

   Guide published in the first quarter. At least two sessions a year.

   First yearI can do this alone

8. 3.8

   A Plan for Housing People Here Can Afford

   Folks here work hard and still can't find a decent place to rent, and nothing new is getting built that they could afford. The state already runs a program for exactly this, the Georgia Initiative for Community Housing. It's three years of training and hands-on help from UGA and the state for a local housing team: the city, the churches, and the people who build and rent homes here. Ashburn applies, puts that team together, and comes out with a written housing plan instead of a hope.

   What it unlocks

   A written housing plan, and a stronger hand on every housing application this plan already promises.

   Hold me to this

   Application filed in the first cycle after taking office.

   First yearNeeds a council vote

9. 3.9

   Work with the Housing Authority, not Around It

   A lot of our neighbors live in housing authority homes. The authority isn't run by City Hall. It has its own board and answers to HUD. But the streets, the lights, and the water lines around those homes are the city's job. Sit down with the authority on a regular schedule, hear from the people who live there, and fix the parts that belong to the city. And bring the authority onto the housing team, because nobody in town knows more about who needs a place to live.

   What it unlocks

   A list of city fixes around the property, worked on a schedule like every other street.

   Hold me to this

   A sit-down with the authority at least twice a year, and what was agreed published afterward.

   First yearNeeds a partner

10. 3.10

    Don't Wait for the Sewer Plant to Fail

    If the treatment plant stops working, sewer backs up into yards and homes. The plant was built in the 1990s and hasn't gotten the attention it needs in a long time. The state has already lent Ashburn money to stop sewer spills and fix failing pump stations. Ask the company that runs the plant for a written report on every piece of equipment, what's failing, and what each repair or replacement costs, and put it in front of council and the public.

    What it unlocks

    A repair and replacement schedule for the plant, and the case for state water and sewer funding.

    Hold me to this

    Equipment report requested in the first 90 days and before council within six months.

    First yearNeeds a council vote

11. 3.11

    Count Who's Sleeping Outside, Then Help

    Some of our neighbors are sleeping in cars, on somebody's couch, or outside, and right now nobody in Ashburn can tell you how many. The state counts people without a home through its Balance of State program, run by the Department of Community Affairs, but Turner County wasn't on the state's 2026 list of counties holding a local count. Get Ashburn counted. Work with the state, the churches, and the housing authority to hold a local count, and connect the people we find to the housing help the state already funds.

    What it unlocks

    A real number, which is the first thing any homelessness or housing grant asks for.

    Hold me to this

    A local count organized with the state within the first two years, and the results published.

    Years 2–4Needs a partner

12. 3.12

    Ditches That Drain Before the Next Big Rain

    When it rains hard here, water sits in yards and streets because ditches and culverts are clogged, too small, or caved in. Map every spot that floods, with help from the people who live there. Sort which ditches belong to the city, which to the county, and which to the state along the highways. Put the city's on a cleaning schedule, worst first, and push the county and the state on theirs. The bigger fixes go on the repair schedule and into grant applications for drainage work.

    What it unlocks

    A flooding map, a cleaning schedule, and the case for drainage grants.

    Hold me to this

    Flooding map published within six months. City ditches on a cleaning schedule in the first year.

    First yearNeeds a council vote

13. 3.13

    Every Part of Town Gets Its Fair Share

    Every year, publish where the street, water, ditch, cleanup, and code enforcement work went, by part of town, right next to where the needs are on the condition list. Everybody gets to see whether the work is following the need. If one part of town keeps coming up short, that's on the record where council can fix it.

    Hold me to this

    First report by the end of year two, then every year.

    Years 2–4I can do this alone